


Monsters in the Dark

by wonderlandiscrumbling



Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mental Illness, fear of the dark, season 4, sleep issues, trauma issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-08
Updated: 2018-03-08
Packaged: 2019-03-28 20:32:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,700
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13911672
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wonderlandiscrumbling/pseuds/wonderlandiscrumbling
Summary: Ed doesn't understand the reasoning behind Oswald sleeping with the lights on.





	Monsters in the Dark

Being back in the manor was familiar, strange, but familiar. Ed tried not to think about the last time he was there, the drug abuse, and the hallucinations of his presumably dead friend. He nearly felt guilty and wrong being back there, having his old bedroom back for the time being, Oswald off-handedly informing him that he could stay if he wanted, he didn’t care. Ed knew enough to know that he did care, that for one reason or another he didn’t want to be alone. He’d noticed quite some time ago that Oswald wasn’t a fan of being alone, a thing they shared even if for completely different reasons. 

For the first week Ed had found himself not sleeping often. He’d spend his nights down in the study reading, drawing up plans, or up in his bedroom pacing nervously. He tried to get himself into a sort of routine, but it was difficult, at first. Perhaps it was that tension of not knowing, wondering if things really were okay between them. Oswald would look at him and say they were okay, but he looked exhausted and beaten down, sometimes as if he were on the verge of crying. Ed knew that Arkham had been hard on him, possibly harder on him the second time than it had been the first, and he knew a big part of that blame laid on Jerome Valeska’s shoulders. The last Ed had heard, the clown had escaped Arkham with a few other inmates, Oswald had become quiet and drained of all color at that news. The days following, he seemed to keep more to himself, keeping a gun on him even in the safety of their home.

One night while Ed had troubles sleeping he found himself pacing hallways. He could hear sounds, scratching on walls, and the occasional moving shadows just out of the corner of his eye that disappeared the second he turned his head in their direction. Something in his brain told him that if he tried to sleep then he wouldn’t be the one waking up, for a few weeks now he hadn’t had to deal with the Riddler hijacking his body, he still didn’t trust that the other had no ill intentions towards Oswald.

Pacing in due time grew tiring, the action only worsening his anxiety, and forcing him to think more about the sounds he couldn’t explain. He stopped outside of Oswald’s bedroom, light seeped out from under the door giving off the impression his friend was still awake. He smiled to himself, relief filling him as he realized that meant they could sit and talk, he could distract himself from the horrors of his own mind. Ed opened the door, he stepped into the room ready to greet his friend, to apologize for intruding, but stopped.

Oswald was under the covers, laying on his back, mouth open, and softly snoring. He was most definitely sleeping despite the ceiling light, bathroom light, and the bedside lamp still being on. Ed furrowed his brow in confusion, lips pressing into a thin line as he wondered why on Earth he had every light possible on while he slept, he imagined it must be difficult to sleep with so many lights on. Without thinking much about the action he flipped off the ceiling light then went to the bed switching off the lamp. Less than a minute later Oswald’s eyes snapped open, Ed didn’t have time to really understand what was happening. He was able to process the whimpering cry from his friend as he quickly and awkwardly scrambled out of his bed, falling to the floor, picking himself back up and rushing to the corner of the bedroom. He sunk to the floor pulling his good leg up against himself, arms covering his face and fingers clutching messed black hair.

“Go away! Please just leave me alone, I’m sorry!” He screamed, voice strained and filled with a fear neither Ed or Riddler had heard come from him before.

Ed remained stuck in place, he looked from the now vacant bed to the corner of the room. Oswald rocking himself back and forth, hiding. Ed swallowed hard as a wave of familiarity slammed into him, for just a moment he remembered himself a lot younger in that exact same position crying and screaming. As soon as the splintered memory came, it was gone, and Ed was cautiously approaching his friend.

“Oswald…Hey, it’s okay, it’s me. It’s Ed.” He spoke softly, hands held up in front of himself as if to show he meant no physical harm towards him.

He kept a close eye on his friend, he could hear his labored breaths. Ed slowly knelt before him on the floor, carefully he reached out gently taking hold of his wrists and pulling his hands away from himself. Oswald’s eyes were tightly closed, head turned to the side as he continued to mutter to himself. Ed rubbed his thumbs over his wrists, a part of him wanted to just pull him close and hold him, but he knew such an action wasn’t what was needed right now.

“Oswald, hey everything’s okay, please just look at me.”

“Jerome’s here. The lights. He, he turned the lights off.”

After a moment of confusion, a realization dawned on him. Ed released his wrists, he went back to the opposite wall and flicked on the light before returning to his friend. He smiled softly as Oswald opened his eyes turning his head to look up at him. 

“Sorry about that” Ed apologized feeling rather foolish.

He knew he should have realized there was a reason Oswald had slept with the lights on, he still wasn’t clear on the purpose, but he now realized there was a comfort in it for him. 

Oswald averted his gaze, carefully he tried to get to his feet, Ed automatically reaching out to help him up when he noticed Oswald’s legs shaking. He was grateful that Oswald allowed him to help him instead of shoving him away like he was sometimes prone to doing. He leaned against Ed’s side allowing him to help him back to bed, he got back under the covers and remained silent as he sat there staring down at the comforter.

Ed stood awkwardly at his bedside wondering if he should leave or stay.

“When I was in Arkham he used to lock me in closets, the small janitorial ones. He’d just leave me in there for hours laughing while I would have panic attacks.” Oswald smiled sadly, he sighed before continuing. “There were times he’d grab my ankle from under the cot or I’d just wake to him in my cell. He’s like the boogeyman, he’s always lurking in the dark, and I know how childish it sounds, but when the lights are on I feel like he can’t hide. Like he can’t be here when the lights are on.” Tears rolled down his cheeks as he bit and chewed his bottom lip.

Ed seated himself on the edge of the bed, with mild hesitation he placed a hand atop of Oswald’s. “I’m sorry, I’ll refrain from turning the lights off from now on. It’s nothing you should feel ashamed about, what he put you through was absolute Hell.”

Oswald nodded. “What if he finds me?” He asked looking up at him.

Ed smiled at him hoping to assure him in some false sense that everything was okay. “I’m right here, he won’t be able to get you.”

The other man laughed and shook his head, hair falling over his eyes, Ed reached out and brushed his hair out of his face.

“I suppose I should appreciate the thought at least. Do you mind just humoring me and staying in here with me tonight, it’ll be like when we lived in your apartment together.” He said smiling softly, an odd shyness to him as he looked at him.

Ed remembered those times fondly, fondness with a touch of sadness. Awkward nights of figuring out how to share a bed without making it weird, Oswald almost always ending up clinging to him at some point during the night.

“Sure, for one night at least it should be okay.” He easily agreed. 

He got up from the bed and proceeded to undress leaving himself in his tank top and boxers, he crawled into bed keeping a considerably safe distance between them. For awhile they lay there just staring at each other as if trying to read their current situation and their shared past. Hesitantly Oswald placed a hand against Ed’s cheek, fingers lightly stroking over soft warm skin. He closed his eyes sighing at the feeling, his mind flashed to the morning on the docks, the way Oswald had reached with bound hands to touch his face, and how he’d hit his hands away. This time he placed his hand over top of his keeping it there, needing a touch he’d denied him, denied himself. He turned his head to the side pressing a kiss against the palm of his hand, he heard Oswald softly gasp taken by surprise by the sudden action. A moment later he was closer to him, the space between them barely existent now. Ed opened his eyes looking at him, saw the deep blush on his cheeks causing his freckles to show more than usual. 

He wrapped an arm around Oswald’s waist pulling him against his body, without hesitation Oswald was hiding his face against his chest breathing in his scent as he curled his fingers in the material of his shirt. Ed kissed the top of his head, hand rubbing over his back, he touched higher knowing exactly where the scar from his years old shoulder wound lay. Even through clothing he felt he could touch every scar, most dedicated to memory. The silence was comfortable, needed, and Ed felt at peace for once. He stayed awake for most the night, just holding him and listening to his soft snores and murmurs. Eventually he fell asleep, a secure lie in mind that so long as the lights were on and he was holding him then Jerome couldn’t hurt him anymore.


End file.
